Washington County, Vermont
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. Named after George Washington, its county seat is the municipality of Montpelier, the state capital. As of the 2010 census, the population was 59,534, making it the third-most populous county in Vermont but the third-least populous capital county in the United States after Hughes County, South Dakota and Franklin County, Kentucky. If Carson City, Nevada and Juneau Borough, Alaska are treated as counties, Washington County is the fifth-least populous capital county. Washington County comprises the Barre, Vermont micropolitan statistical area. In 2010, the center of population of Vermont was located in Washington County, in the town of Warren. History Washington County is one of several Vermont counties created from land ceded by the state of New York on January 15, 1777 when Vermont declared itself to be a distinct state from New York.Slade, William, Jr., comp. Vermont State Papers: Being a collection of Records and Documents Connected with the Assumption and Establishment of Government by the People of Vermont, Together with the Journal of the Council of Safety, the First Constitution, the Early Journals of the General Assembly, and the Laws from the Year 1779 to 1786, Inclusive. Middlebury, 1823. P. 70-73.Van Zandt, Franklin K. Boundaries of the United States and the Several States. Geological Survey Professional Paper 909. Washington, DC; Government Printing Office, 1976. The Standard Compilation for its subject. P. 64.Williamson, Chilton. Vermont in Quandary: 1763-1825. Growth of Vermont series, Number 4. Montpelier: Vermont Historical Series, 1949. PP. 82-84; map facing 95, 100-102, 112-113. The land originally was contested by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Netherland, but it remained undelineated until July 20, 1764 when King George III established the boundary between New Hampshire and New York along the west bank of the Connecticut River, north of Massachusetts and south of the parallel of 45 degrees north latitude. New York assigned the land gained to Albany County.Slade, William, Jr., comp. Vermont State Papers: Being a collection of Records and Documents Connected with the Assumption and Establishment of Government by the People of Vermont, Together with the Journal of the Council of Safety, the First Constitution, the Early Journals of the General Assembly, and the Laws from the Year 1779 to 1786, Inclusive. Middlebury, 1823. pp.13-19.Van Zandt, Franklin K. Boundaries of the United States and the Several States. Geological Survey Professional Paper 909. Washington, DC; Government Printing Office, 1976. The Standard Compilation for its subject. P. 63. On March 12, 1772 Albany County was partitioned to create Charlotte County,New York Colonial Laws, Chapter 1534; Section 5; Paragraph 321) and this situation remained until Vermont's independence from New York and Britain. Washington County was originally established as Jefferson County in 1810 from parts of Caledonia County, Chittenden County, and Orange County and organized the following year. In 1814 it was renamed to Washington County. The name change occurred after the Federalists took control of the Vermont Legislature from the Jeffersonians. Vermont which conducted significant trade with British Canada had suffered particularly by passage of the Embargo Act of 1807 during the Jefferson administration. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. Major highways * Interstate 89 Adjacent counties *Lamoille County - north *Caledonia County - northeast *Orange County - southeast *Addison County - southwest *Chittenden County - northwest National protected area *Green Mountain National Forest (part) Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2016 }} 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 59,534 people, 25,027 households, and 15,410 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 29,941 housing units at an average density of . Of the 25,027 households, 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 38.4% were non-families, and 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.81. The median age was 42.3 years. The median income for a household in the county was $55,313 and the median income for a family was $66,968. Males had a median income of $45,579 versus $38,052 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,337. About 5.9% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over. Elections Communities Cities * Barre * Montpelier (shire town) Towns * Barre (Town) * Berlin * Cabot * Calais * Duxbury * East Montpelier * Fayston * Marshfield * Middlesex * Moretown * Northfield * Plainfield * Roxbury * Waitsfield * Warren * Waterbury * Woodbury * Worcester Villages * Marshfield * Northfield * Waterbury Census-designated places *Cabot * East Barre * East Montpelier * Graniteville * Northfield * Plainfield * South Barre * Waitsfield * Websterville * Worcester Unincorporated communities *Adamant *Tangletown See also * List of counties in Vermont * List of towns in Vermont * National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington County, Vermont References External links * National Register of Historic Places listing for Washington Co., Vermont * [http://video.vpt.org/video/1432824970/ Life in Washington County] Documentary produced by Vermont Public Television Category:Washington County, Vermont Category:1811 establishments in Vermont Category:Settlements established in 1811